Automobile trouble light



Nov. 9, 1948. H v. s. WARD ETAL 0 AUTOMOBILE TROUBLE LIGHT- Filed April 12, 1946 III III" Y Gordon, C-J/arZZui worn q fits, said bushing or sleeve being also of non-conducting or insulating material. Confined between one end of the bushing or sleeve is and an annular shoulder M formed on the plug, is a spider of metal I5 constituting a multiple contact member which establishes a resilient contact with the wall of the sockett 2, when the plugor jack is inserted in the socket, the spider l5 not only making an electrical contact with the socket, but also serving, because of the nature of its resilient, fingers l6,'to hold the plug or jack firmly but removably in position within the socket 2. The spider I5 is formed with a central aperture which enables it to fit about the neck portion ['2 of the plug, and it is also formed with a plurality of rearwardly-bent integral resilient fingers I6, each of which has its free end provided with a rounded head portion N that establishes a firm contact with the inner wall surface of the socket 2 yet permits the plug to be easily pushed into and normally withdrawn from the socket.

At the outer end of the sleeve or bushing I3 is located a dished metal washer or disk l8 formed with a central depressed portion having an aperture I9 through which a screw 28 or other equivalent fastening element extends, said screw serving to engage and hold one of the wires 2| of the cord or cable 8 tightly within the reduced end portion I I of the bore as well as to convey current to said wire. The washer or disk 18 is arcuately slit as indicated at 22 (Fig. 2) to provide a free resilient tongue portion 23 which is bent away from the body of the washer ill to a position offset from the body of the washer as clearly seen in Fig. 2. Said off-set tongue 23 thus constitutes a springy contact member which resiliently bears against the head 6 of the contact stud 3, when the plug is inserted within the socket 2.

The second wire 24 of the connecting cord or cable 8 has its bared end 25 directed through an angularly disposed passage 25 extending through the wall of the plug 5 so that said bared end '26 is located between the head of the spider I5 and the shoulder It as shown in Fig. 3 and is thus clamped between these parts by the screw to thereby establish electrical contact with the spider.

' Thearrangement described is such that all of the parts of the connection plug or jack may be held together without soldering or other permanent fastening means. Screw 20, when inserted into the reduced portion H' of the bore, encounters the bare end of wire 2| which has been inserted therein, and the threads of the screw engage the wire and wedge it tightly within the As the screw is tightened. it

bore-portion l i. will draw the washer or disk l8 firmly against the end of the bushing or sleeve [3 and thus will cause I the latter to clamp the spider I5 between it and the shoulder M of the plug body 5. The bare end 26 of the wire having been previously inserted between the spider and the shoulder 14 will thus be firmly held against the spider to establish electrical contact therewith.

To connect a lamp that is attached at the end of the cord or cable, to the source of current nected respectively to the wires 2! and 24 it will 7 Figs. 4 t0 6 inclusive, the body 30 of the plug is 4 be apparent that the conveyance of current to the lamp will take place. The resilient or springy nature of the fingers i6 is such that the same not only serve to establish electrical contact with the socket 2 but also provide frictional contact with the walls of the same whereby said fingers constitute-retainingmeans byv which the plug is sec'urely, but removably, held within the socket and is unlikely to be jarred therefrom.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in composed ofsoft rubber, synthetic rubber, or some other similar compressible and resilient material. At 3! is shown a metallic spider (see Fig. 5) provided with an annular end portion 33 formed with a central aperture 32 through which sleeve 34 (shown in Fig. 6) is externally threaded at one end, as indicated at 35, to threadably receive a relatively large nut 36 constituting a knob or hand-engaging part by means of v which the plug" may be inserted into the socket 2 and withdrawn therefrom. The spider 3| is provided with a plurality of rearwardly-extending resilient fingers 31 having inbent pointed ends or terminals 38 which penetrate or are indented into the soft and compressible body of the plug, as shown in Fig. 4 te thereby maintain the spider in place and attachedto the bodyof the'plug.

Provided on the forward end of the sleeve 34 is a flange 39, .jwhich extends radially of the sleeve, and confined between the flange 39 and the head 33 of the spider 3| is a washer 4| of non-conducting or insulating material. To the end of, the flange 39jis secured a metallic coil spring 40 and secured to said spring by soldering or otherwise, is the bared end 26 of wire 2d. The bared end of the wire 2| is located and is clamped between washer 4! and the head 33 of the spider 3| thereby establishing electrical contact with thespider. A slot 44 is provided in the 'wall and flange of the sleeve 34 to enable the end of the wire to, be positioned between washer 4| and the head of the spider 3|.

, With the plug of this embodiment it will be seenthat when the nut ,36 is tightened, flange 39 will clamp washer 4l'between it and the head 33 of the spider 3|, and the washer M will, in turn, clamp the bared end of wire 2| between it and the spider. the socket 2 the compressible and resilient nature of the body of the plug will enable the plug to be fitted tightly within the socket and it will retain its position therein by the snugness of its frictional fit. The fingers 3'! will be firmly held against the wall of the socket to thus establish ele'ctrical'contact therewith. At the same time, the spring 40, to which the bared end 26 of the wire 24 is attached, will bear against the head, 6 thereby establishing electrical contact therewith. A plug of this character will, because'of its resilience, readily adapt itself to sockets of slightly varying diameters.

While we have described several embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the, scope of the annexed claim.

In the embodimentsof the invention as herein described, consideration has been given to the fact that the cigarette lighter sockets or recep taclesas usedin various makes of automobiles often may vary in diametrical size as well as in depth, Accordingly, in the several structures herein shown, the means for establishing electri- When this plug is inserted in" cal contact between the socket body, or grounded side of the line, and the contact fingers on the plug, is such that the springiness or expansive characteristics of the contact fingers IE, or that inherent in the plug body 30, plays an important part and assures positive contact regardless of variation in diameter of the lighter sockets employed. Also, since the contact of the fingers l6 and 31 with the inner surface of the socket 2 can be secured at any point on the socket for the depth of the socket, the plug may be pushed into the socket to any extent required to assure contact of the end member 23 or 40 with the current-,

conveying stud 3.. Thus, the devices presented are of universal use since they readily accommodate themselves to lighter sockets of various sizes as embodied in present-day automobiles.

What we claim is:

In an appliance of the character described, a plug having a body composed of a pair of tubular sections of insulating material, the first of said sections constituting a body section, said first section having a part fitted within a part of the other section, a ring-like metal contact member fitted around the first section and presenting a peripheral surface for contact with the interior wall of a cigar-lighter socket of an automobile, a two-wire cord extending through the body of the plug, the first section having an aperture bared end of one of the wires in said cord is passed to be thereby disposed between the outside of the body section and an inner surface of said metal 1 body plug being interposed between said ring and through one of its walls and through which the contact member a screw extendingaxially of the plug and threaded into one of the body sections for holding the contact disk and second section in place, the second wire of the cord having a bared end electrically connected to the disk by means of said screw. VINCENT S. WARD.

GORDON K. HURLBUT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,175,343 Conrad Mar. 14, 1916 1,320,242 Koenig Oct. 28, 1919 1,884,432 Watts Oct. 25, 1932 1,982,077 Spencer Nov. 27 1934 2,236,435 Lockshin Mar. 25, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany May 20, 1924 

